Not Machines
by Spontaneous-Splenzi411
Summary: Just what are Cybertronians? Why are they on Earth? This is the story of how 3 teenagers got embroiled in an alien civil war, and how one of them bridges the gap between Autobots and humans. (I don't own Transformers. I only own my OC)
1. Any Questions?

I walked briskly towards my cousin's high school. It's a beautiful day outside, and the birds sing cheerily. I'm on my way to surprise Mikaela after school and ask for her help. I'm almost to the door when a guy about my age rushes out the door, nearly running me over in his haste. I stare after him as he sprints away, waving a paper in the air and yelling unintelligibly. Huh. Must have gotten a good grade I guess. I shake my head and continue on my way. I open the door, shivering as I'm blasted with a gust of frigid air. I wander the hallways slowly, and I'm turning another corner as I hear a snobby voice reach me.

"So what? It doesn't matter." The annoying voice sneered.

I hear my cousins voice now, cracking with hurt.

"So what? SO WHAT?! You CHEATED on me!"

I stare at the seen in front of me, my cousin and a snobby douche in front of a row of lockers.

"It's not like it's the first time."

I saw red. I stride up beside my cousin and glare at the douche. He sees me, grin widening, and opens his mouth. Before he can get out a single sleazy comment, I reach up rearing back my hand and slap him with all my might. The douches face it turned away, and red is already blossoming on his cheek. My cousin turns to me in shock, not expecting me to be here.

"Get out of here Trent. We'll talk about this later. " Mikaela dismissed him angrily. She doesn't bother to glance back at the douche as she grabs my arm, dragging me away.

"What are you doing here?!" my cousin hisses at me. I raise a single eyebrow. Wow, Mikaela. I'm really feeling the love...

"Not- Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything! I just wasn't expecting you..." Mikaela rushes to elaborate before I can even open my mouth. I grinned at her, before answering her question.

"I need your help, but we can talk about it later. I can give you a ride home if you'd like?" I lower my voice, as people glance our way whispering.  
My cousins just nods, sighing slightly from exhaustion. We make our way out of the school building, and I lead her to where I parked my car. It's only three years old, but it was bought used from another cousin for only $1,500. Mikaela examines the dusty outside of my car, before getting in on the passenger side. She opens her mouth to ask about the boxes and baggage in my backseat but I shake my head before she can voice her questions.

"Later." I promise.

The drive to Mikaela's house was long and boring, so it was a relief to pull up to her home. She got out after I parked, and I followed her into her house. It was a small building, with one bedroom, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a basement, and a small porch over a single car driveway. The house smelled faintly of aged wood, car grease, and sawdust. The windows let the afternoon light in, adding a golden glow to the already inviting home. Mikaela turned to me expectantly.

"What do you need?" She questioned gently. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but... my parents kicked me out... and I don't know where else to go..." I choked a little, tears springing to my eyes. "Can- can I stay with you? I'll help with bills! And- and I'll get a job and everything!"

"Of course! Always! I'm here for you. Can you tell me what happened?" Mikaela hugged me close, letting my tears soak into her shirt as I sobbed.

A few days later, I sat with Mikaela and her friends, watching them laugh about the so-called 'men' in their school. Yesterday Mikaela had gone to a party while I settled in. She told me when she got home how she broke up with The Douche and got a ride home from some dude named Sam. Drawing my mind back to the present I continue to listen to the conversations going on around me.

At the frantic ringing of a bicycle bell, I glanced up in time to see a guy, the same one who almost bowled me over at Mikaela's school, hit the rough concrete on a pink bike, and flip over the handlebars, landing hard on his back.

"Sam?" Mikaela asked in shock. Sam!? As in the nice guy who gave Mikaela a ride home, Sam!?

Sam groaned, shifting on the cracked sidewalk, and tried to catch his breath.

"Hi," he bit out, obviously hurting from the epic crash.

"That was..." Mikaela started, looking at the sidewalk and back at the bike again. "That was really... awesome."

"Well, it felt awesome. " he groaned, getting up.

"Are you okay?" I asked in concern. That really looked like it hurt.

"I'm not okay, alright? I'm losing my mind a little bit. I'm getting chased by my car right now. I gotta go." He babbled, getting the pink bike upright again and taking off down the sidewalk. Not a minute later, a yellow Camero raced after him, tinted windows rolled up.

"You know what?" Mikaela said, "I'm gonna catch up with you guys later."

I jogged with her to her scooter and hopped on to the backseat. A cop pulled out in front of us, cutting us off for a moment. My heart raced as I read the words on its side, which seemed to say "to punish and enslave" instead of "to serve and protect". Before I could point it out to my cousin, the cop car sped off.

Mikaela drove more slowly now, scanning the area around us. We were in on a road, and Mikaela and I saw Sam running out from under a highway. Mikaela turned the scooter toward him, only to be tackled. The force of the impact knocked the both of us off. She struggled to stand, but Sam clung to her.

"What's your problem, Sam?" She demanded incredulously.

"Yeah, you useless paper clip!" I snarled. I love Mikaela dearly, but she has half a foot and at least 50 pounds on me, and Sam was even heavier. I had been squashed under both of them.

"Okay, there's a monster right there! It just attacked me!" he shrieked, gesturing behind himself wildly.

I was about to open my mouth to ask if he was on drugs when I looked where he was pointing and my heart stopped. It was horrifying. A massive metal bipedal was charging towards us. It was sent tumbling away as the yellow Camaro from before came charging out of nowhere. The car pulled up in front of us and popped open its door. There was no driver. Sam was babbling again but I couldn't hear him clearly, black spots dancing in my vision. I shake my head in a poor attempt to clear it. It works, but now I'm dizzy.

"Sam what is that thing?" Mikaela cried out.

"You have to get in the car," Sam stated seriously. "Get in."

"I don't..." Mikaela started.

"Get in the car. Trust me. Trust me!" Sam declared.

"Sam!" Mikaela shouted as he dragged us to the Camaro. I glanced up, the robot was getting to its feet. Sam shoved me in the back seat, and then scrambled in, Mikaela not soon after. The door closed behind her, and the car sped away from the metallic monster behind us. I bit my lip until I tasted blood as the cop car chased after us.

"Go go go go go go go!" Sam was shrieking again, and I had to wince at the shrill noise.

We crashed through the window of a warehouse and continued the wild chase. Street lights sped by, the world outside of the car windows became a blur. We finally came to an isolated area that the car apparently deemed 'safe' as it backed itself into a corner. The doors locked ominously, and Sam began to panic.

"We're locked in," Sam panicked. "The car won't start. At least we ditched that  
monster, right?"

I shushed him angrily, so we all sat in an tense silence as the monster drove past us slowly. I held my breath, my heart in my throat as the cop car seemed to slow down as it passed our hiding place. The cop car stopped and the Camaro took that as it's cue.

The key turned in the ignition with a barely audible click.

Sam murmured something under his breath.

Then, with a hearty rev, the engine roared to life, and we raced past the monstrous cop car.

The Camaro sped into a sharp turn, opening the doors and dumping us onto the loose gravel. In the corner of my eye I could see Sam atop Mikaela, the two struggling to untangle themselves and get up at the same time. I could only lay where I had been dumped, staring at the scene before me.

The yellow Camaro drove a few feet in front of us and seemed to fracture into millions of pieces, each moving and changing to accommodate the car's new shape. The being that had once been a yellow Camaro stood up, taking a simple defensive stance in front of us. I scrambled backward as Mikaela grabbed at Sam, trying to run as the cop car roared around the corner. It, too, seemed to morph or transform into a more humanoid shape before it tackled the yellow robot. The yellow robot knocked away the cop car, getting back to its, for lack of better term, feet. The cop car pulled out what looked to be a spiky mace as it expelled a small bundle of metal. The bundle hit the ground near Sam and Mikaela, revealing itself to be a much smaller version of the robots battling above us. Not taking any chances, we began running, the smaller bot giving chase.

I could hear it chittering behind us as I struggled to keep up with the others. Suddenly, I felt something heavily latch onto my back with sharp claws. I shrieked as it dug in and then leaped, using me as a springboard. The silver thing sped past me and latched onto Sam.

"OOOAHHHH! He's got me! HE'S GOT ME! Oh god!" Sam bellowed.

It scrabbled at his legs, somehow tearing Sam's pants off in the process. The pants ended up a few feet away from them and I got to my feet. Disregarding my fear, I dove forward, full body tackling the little monster. I could barely see Mikaela running off somewhere through the dust kicked up in the scuffle. The little robot squirmed out from under me, the sharp points drawing blood, and continued the chase. Sam was running for his life, just as the thing jumped on him again. This time, Sam managed to dislodge it himself, yelling incoherently. It chittered and the two faced off for a moment before the little monster lunged. I kicked out, barely stalling the robot as it clambered up Sam, pinning him to the chain link fence nearby. They were locked in a struggle, Sam barely keeping it away from his face and neck as I forcefully pulled on its legs. Mikaela came out of nowhere, wielding a sawsall like a pro. She hacked off the little robots head, before sighing in relief and resting her weapon on her shoulder.

"Not so tough without a head are you?" Sam taunted, kicking the head far away from us.

After a second, we began walking, carefully edging towards the area where the robots had fought. The silence could only mean that one of them had emerged victorious. The quiet was broken by the sound of heavy footfalls and a tall shadow standing over us.

"What is it?" Mikaela asked softly, staring up at the shadow.

"It's a robot," Sam replied distractedly, "But like a... like a different... you know, like a super-advanced robot. It's probably Japanese."

Oh hell no. No way. There is no conceivable way that this robot is "Japanese". They're still bragging about their latest bot, one that can't even walk, for crying out loud. Idiot.

"Yep, it's definitely Japanese." Sam confirmed to himself. I rolled my eyes. Again, idiot.

"What are you doing?" Mikaela asked worriedly as Sam began walking toward the robot.

"I don't think it wants to hurt us. It would have done that already." Sam stated quietly, stumbling towards the giant. I took a deep breath, trying not to cry. That, at least, made sense.

"Really?" Mikaela asked sarcastically. "Well, do you speak robot? Because they just had, like, a giant droid death match."

"Mikaela, tone down the sass." I hissed at her.

"I think it wants something from me."

"What?" Mikaela questioned quietly.

"Well, 'cause the other one was talking about my eBay page," Sam explained.

And I thought my life was weird. This is beyond crazy.

"You are the strangest boy, I have ever met," Mikaela stated flatly, eyebrows raised.

"Remember 'Sunshine'?" I joked elbowing her softly. She smiled at me and nodded slightly.

"Can you talk?" Sam called out, hesitantly.

"XM Satellite Radio\Digital Cable brings you\Colombia Broadcasting System." the yellow robot played the soundbytes, gazing down at Sam and miming.

"So you... you talk through the radio?" Sam guessed.

"Thank you, you're beautiful. You're wonderful, you're wonderful." the robot clapped it's 'hands' and pointed directly at Sam. It looked happy that Sam had guessed correctly.

"So, what was that last night? What was that?"

"Message from Starfleet, Captain/Throughout the inanimate vastness of space/Angels will rain down like visitors from heaven! Hallelujah!"

"Visitors from heaven? What- what are you, like an alien or something?" Mikaela asked as calmly as she could, looking up at the robot and swallowing her fear. It pointed to her and turned. It knelt down as it folded in on itself, transforming. The hood slammed down with a note of finality.

"Any more questions you wanna ask?" the radio drawled.


	2. Meet the Autobots

"Fifty years from now, when you're looking back at your life, don't you want to be able to say you had the guts to get in the car?" Sam murmured to us with a little grin. I turned to Mikaela, my answer depended on her choice. I felt drawn to the Camaro, but she had the ultimate decision. She stared at him, and then turned to the car for a long moment, considering. Slowly, as if second-guessing herself, she nodded. I reached out, still shaking from the adrenaline in my system, and grabbed her hand. She squeezed my hand and let out a deep breath. Together, we climbed up the small slope. I slipped in first, crawling into the backseat, while Sam held the passenger door open for Mikaela. She got in after me, choosing instead to sit on the middle console. Sam got in on the passenger side while I shifted, looking around for a buckle before shrugging and sitting back in my seat. The robot...or 'he' I guess...drove for a moment until he let Mikaela out to collect her purse and Sam's pants. That was considerate of him. Mikaela got back in on the console, and we all quietly watched as the robot drove himself. After a period of time, Mikaela summoned the courage to break the tension.

"This car's a pretty good driver," Mikaela muttered.

"I know. Why don't you go sit in that seat there?" Sam questioned quietly.

"I'm not going to sit in that seat. He's driving!" Mikaela hissed back.

"Yeah, you're right." We sat in silence for a moment. "Well, maybe you should sit in my lap."

"Why?" I could imagine the look on my cousin's face as she spoke, and it was sassy.

"Wuh, uh well, I have the only seat belt here. You know, safety first." Sam explained quickly. Good one.

Mikaela huffed after a short silence before giving in. "Yeah, alright."

"Right?" Sam questioned nervously.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

Mikaela squirmed in Sam's lap, as he buckled the seatbelt around them. I smirked to myself. Smooth. While the two lovebirds got situated, I gently patted my seat. "Thank you," I murmured under my breath, I knew he could hear me. "I don't think that you had to protect us, but you did, so- Thank you. I owe you for this." The seat warmed slightly, and I smiled to myself. I once again focused my attention to the situation up front.

"There, see that's better," Sam whispered.

I saw my cousin begin to open her mouth. And I smirked.

"You know, that seatbelt thing was a pretty smooth move, Sam," I reminded the two of my presence in the back seat. They both blushed, having forgotten I was even there. The car seemed to shake minutely with what I assume is laughter, and we sat in a comfortable silence. Mikaela once again broke the silence, but with less tact than I expected.

"You know what I don't understand?" she wondered aloud. "Why, if he's supposed to be, like, this super advanced robot, does he transform back into this piece-of-crap Camaro?"

As soon as she finished her sentence, the disguised robot slammed on the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road. We all clambered out, and Sam was babbling again, this time in agitation instead of fear. I ignored him in favor of watching the Camaro turn around and drive off. We waited for a minute or two before I heard a loud engine coming towards us. I felt my heart stop, thinking that it was the same monstrosity from before.

But we all saw it at roughly the same time. A new Camaro, with the same color scheme as before.

"What?" Sam asked in shock. He had enough wits about him to open the door for me and Mikaela as I slid into the back seat. I smiled happily at the familiarity. I had driven a yellow Camaro in Driver's Ed, and it had been awesome. I repeated my thoughts aloud for the benefit of the bot, but not quite loud enough for Sam and Mikaela to hear. The car seemed smug at the awed looks on Mikaela's and Sam's faces. Still, I reached over the sear and poked Mikaela in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow!" she hissed, glaring at me. I just gave her a Look and nodded pointedly at the dashboard, my left eyebrow arched. She blinked for a moment, then seemed to come back to herself. Quietly, she murmured apologies about her 'rudeness'. I smiled as the Camaro cheerfully played 'It's All Right' by the Impressions.

A few minutes passed as we drove. I didn't know where we were going, and it didn't look like Sam or Mikaela knew either. I felt a little nervous about this, but I ultimately decided to trust the robot. Hopefully, I'm not wrong. I stare out the windows as the Camaro begins to slow down. As gently as he can, the Camaro drives under a set of gates. All three of us are completely silent as the robot drives up a long driveway and parks near the top. We climb out, looking around warily. I can see what appears to be a major company or government-owned building not too far from us, but my attention is caught by bright lights in the night sky.

"Look!" I point at the dark sky as Sam and Mikaela follow my gaze. I felt the shockwaves as four objects entered the atmosphere. They both gasp at what seems to be 4 massive meteors heading for the earth. Sam flinched at the loud sounds, slightly ducking behind Mikaela. I watched as one of the meteors landed near us, slamming into a hill and completely decimating it, dirt flying everywhere. Sam pulled Mikaela along behind him running towards the crater. I jogged behind them, my short legs making it even harder to keep up. As we arrived, I couldn't help but gape at the scene. A single tree by the crater was on fire, ignited by the heat of reentry. The object in the crater revealed itself to be a bright metallic shape with a multitude of beautiful etchings. The object began to fracture into separate pieces, the vaguely humanoid figure standing. The figure gazed at us in silence before turning away and running. I watched in awe as it moved smoothly, easily silencing its booming footfalls despite it being massive, roughly thirty feet tall. I was startled out of my awed stupor when the yellow boy quietly rolled up behind us. He opened his side doors, silently becoming. I smiled and crawled into my place in the back, Sam and my cousin not too far behind me. The Camaro began driving again, our destination once again unknown. But this time, I couldn't help but smile and relax. I had recognized the look of calm curiosity in the silver figures eyes.

The Camaro drove for a while, only slowing down once we reached a quiet alley in the warehouse district. He parked so Sam, Mikaela, and I climbed out. We scanned the relatively empty area and quickly noticed the bright headlights that surrounded us. Three vehicles slowed to a stop behind us. There was a lime green Search and Rescue, a black GMC Topkick, and a silver Pontiac Solstice. In front of us, a large Peterbilt Semi drove up. It had red and blue detailing and a strange insignia on the front of the grill. I watched as Mikaela shifted forward a bit, but quickly retreated when it came to a sudden stop not a few feet away. I heard air brakes hiss, and it was the only warning before the Semi transformed. It split apart, folding in on itself, parts shifting and splitting as the Semi became a bipedal figure. It was slower than what I had seen before, and I could only watch in amazement as the components and pieces settled into place. It-he I mentally corrected myself- stretched leisurely, rolling his shoulders and neck. I may have been imagining it but I could have sworn I heard a low hum come from the Semi, as I turned my head to see the others transform. It was beautiful, and I momentarily forgot where I was and who was with me as I observed. The Pontiac flipped and dancing into bipedal form. The Search and Rescue pushed himself to his feet before correcting his reversed torso. The Topkick slowly stood up, tense and a little stiff. I gazed around me with no little amazement before I turned back to the Semi. I saw Mikaela grab onto with one hand as they also turned back to him. I reached out to her, grabbing her hand again, as my blood pounded in my ears. I squeezed her hand tightly as the Semi bent down to our level. I recognized him. He was the one who had landed near us, I could tell by his height and the same calm curiosity in his eyes as he stared at us.

"Are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendant of Witwicky?" he questioned rapidly. His voice was a deep bass that shook my bones. I saw Sam lean in, gaping at the massive face. I almost snorted when the bot backed away slightly, uncomfortable with the proximity. Mikaela clung to Sam nervous about how close the bot was. I stood just barely behind them, but my height helped me hide behind them.

"They know your name!" my cousin breathed.

"Yeah?" Sam responded with a quiet uncertainty.

"My name is Optimus Prime." He rumbled. Optimus turned his head slightly and made eye contact with each of us, before focusing once more on Sam. "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron."  
"But you can call us Autobots for short." the search and rescue ro-Autobot chipped in.

My heart actually skipped a beat. I know that the yellow Autobot had said he was an alien earlier, but it was another thing entirely when Optimus Prime said they were from another planet. I am talking to giant robot aliens. What has my life come to?

"Autobots..." Sam tried the name out on his tongue.

"What's crackin' little bitches?" the Pontiac greeted.

"My first lieutenant. Designation, Jazz." Optimus introduced.

"This looks like a cool place to kick it," Jazz added, spinning and landing in a seated position on a nearby broken car. I watched him and smiled. He seemed nice.

"What is that? How did he learn to talk like that?" Sam asked haltingly.

"We've learned earth's languages through the world wide web." Prime answered.

Huh. So many questions answered.

"My Weapons Specialist, Ironhide." Prime continued.

We all turned around to see Ironhide, the black Topkick, whip out a pair of cannons that were practically the size of my entire body. I tensed and stepped forward minutely, shielding Mikaela as much as I could. I shuddered at the light the two high tech weapons gave off, not even bothering to hide my growing terror.

"You feelin' lucky, punk?" the Weapons Specialist growled.

"Easy Ironhide," Optimus chastised.

I softly exhaled, almost collapsing from relief. So we weren't going to die, yet.

"I'm just kidding! I just wanted to show him my cannons." Ironhide quickly defended himself. I grinned, I liked guns. I liked shooting. So the cannons were pretty f**king awesome when they weren't pointed at me. I made a mental note to mention that to Ironhide later.

"Our Medical Officer, Ratchet." Optimus ignored the explanation in lieu of continuing the introductions. I looked at the lime green Autobot as he seemed to sniff the air, nose twitching.

"Hmmmm. The boy's pheromone levels suggest he wants to mate with the female," Ratchet announced musingly. Oh. My. God. I clapped my hand over my mouth, my diaphragm contracting in an effort to contain my laughter. I watched as Mikaela and Sam awkwardly shifted away from each other. Sam even let out a weak whistle. That's it. I let out an unfortunately loud snort, bending over as I giggled uncontrollably. Mikaela and Sam both glared heatedly at me. I tried to stifle my laughter once more, due to the amused and confused looks I was receiving from the Autobots. I cleared my throat a little, still smiling, as I looked up at the bots.

"Sorry for my outburst. Ratchet's comment caught me off guard." I apologized. Seeing the mild confusion on their faces, I elaborated.

"Sex, mating, procreation, or whatever you want to call it, is more a subject that is only discussed among friends, family, or even mentors. It's considered a more personal subject, one not spoken of in public."

The confusion was cleared up now, and Ratchet apologized to Sam and Mikaela, who just nodded awkwardly. Clearing his throat, Optimus finished the last of the introductions.

"You already know your guardian, Bumblebee." He rumbled. I looked over at the yellow Autobot, Bumblebee and grinned at his exuberance.

"Bumblebee, right?" Sam questioned cheerfully, now that the subject of 'mating' was forgotten.

"Check on the rep, yep, second to none." Bumblebee played the song happily, still bouncing on his feet.

"So you're my guardian, huh?" Sam repeated, beaming up at the happy bot. Bumblebee chirped and nodded sharply.

"His vocal processors were damaged in battle. I'm still working on them." Ratchet grouched, half to himself, aiming a red laser at the yellow bot. Bumblebee choked and coughed lightly, looking somewhat disdainfully at his fellow Autobot.

I stepped forward slightly, deciding it would be rude not to introduce myself and the others in turn.

"My name is Katrina Mae Banes," I announced calmly. I gestured towards Mikaela. "This is my cousin, Mikaela Marie Banes. You already know Sam's name." I introduced those in my little group of humans.


	3. Interlude Bumblebee

Bumblebee POV

I watched the little femme step back after introducing the females in the human group. I hadn't gotten her name til now, but I liked her anyway. She was brave and had the makings of a true leader. While she had frozen up when first confronted by Barricade, she didn't let her fear stop her from battling that little monster, Frenzy. I had seen her tackle Frenzy out of the corner of my optic, while I was fighting Barricade, and it had definitely surprised me. I hadn't expected the tiny human femme to even attempt to attack, let alone actually get Frenzy off of Samuel. She'd even surprised me when she thanked me for helping them and when she made Mikaela apologize for her tactless comments on my looks. Yeah, I definitely liked this little femme. Especially when she welcomed my fellow Autobots. She smiled at Jazz, warmed up to Ironhide even after he threatened them, and laughed because of Ratchet. I hadn't originally thought much about her, but thinking about her now, I can't help but think that we'll be seeing far more of her.


	4. The Fall of an Empire

Previously-

"My name is Katrina Mae Banes." I announced calmly. I gestured towards Mikaela. "This is my cousin, Mikaela Marie Banes. You already know Sam's name." I introduced those in my little group of humans.

Now-

Mikaela, emboldened by my actions, stepped up slightly.

"Why are you here?" She enquired softly.

"We are here looking for the AllSpark, and we must find it before Megatron." Optimus Prime answered her question, staring deep into her eyes.

"Mega-what?" Sam questioned shakily.

I groaned internally at him. Sam, please shut your mouth and stop repeating whatever the Autobots say.

Optimus reached up and gently pressed something on the side of his head. Light shot out and danced along the ground for a moment before spreading and forming a picture. Sam and Mikaela backed away as the light quickly became a scene of destruction. The ground seemed to crumble beneath our feet, and I looked around myself at the alien surroundings. I could only stare as I listened to Optimus speak. His voice, like the scene, surrounded us completely. It was breathtaking.

"Our planet was once a powerful empire, peaceful and just. Until we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. All who defied them were destroyed. Our war finally consumed the planet, and the All-spark was lost to the stars. Megatron followed it to Earth, where Captain Witwicky found him." The scene changed from a burning civilization to an icy tundra, and we could see the faces of over a dozen men, all encrusted in ice.

"My grandfather." Sam huffed slightly.

"It was an accident that intertwined our fates."

We watched as a dog ran off, some of the men yelling after it. The excited dog scraped at the snow as the men caught up to it. There was an ominous cracking sound and an older man opened his mouth to warn the others. It was to no avail. The ice cracked, spreading outward like a spider web. The man was at the center. Suddenly, the ice gave out completely and he and the curious dog fell. For what seemed like forever, we watched the old man fall down a icy tunnel. I could hear the dog yelping, but I couldn't see it after the man finally came to a stop. We could here the men desperately shouting for their Captain. Oh! The old man must be Sam's grandfather! Captain called up to his men, reassuring them. Captain Witwicky looked around himself, in terror. As I saw the frozen behemoth that was Megatron, I could feel chills crawl up my spine, and goosebumps break out all over my body.

"Megatron crash landed before he could retrieve the cube." Optimus continued quietly, "He accidentally activated his navigation system. The coordinates to the Cube's location on Earth were imprinted on his glasses."

"How'd you know about his glasses?" Sam suddenly inquired.

"eBay." Optimus answered succinctly. What the hell?

"eBay." Sam repeated disbelieving.

"If the Decepticons find the AllSpark, they will use it's power to transform Earth's machines and build a new army." Ratchet chipped in seriously.

What?

"And the human race will be extinguished," Optimus declared gravely. "Sam Witwicky, you hold the key to Earth's survival."

WHAT?

"Please tell me that you have those glasses." Mikaela begged.

"At home, in my room." Sam assured her.

At Optimus's command, the Autobots transformed into their respective disguises as Sam, Mikaela, and I got into Bumblebee, and we headed out.


	5. Drama on the Lawn

The drive to the Witwicky residence was a short one. Optimus Prime was in the lead, followed by Ironhide, then Bumblebee and us, with Ratchet not too far behind. Jazz was in the rear, most likely watching our backs for Decepticons. Either they had some way to communicate silently, or they had access to Google Maps. Otherwise, it would be super creepy that Optimus knew the way to Sam's house… I stared straight ahead, trying to absorb the sudden information and come to terms with it. I'm pulled out of my thoughts as we park in an alley next to a cozy two-story house. Sam got out of the car, and I could see him shaking with nerves.

"I need you to stay here, alright?" he instructed nervously. "You gotta stay here and you gotta watch them."

"Okay. Okay." Mikaela accepted.

"All of them." Sam continued babbling. "Do you hear what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, okay. Okay? Go!"Mikaela shooed him off.

"Five minutes. Alright?" Sam started for his house.

I could faintly hear him talking to a man on his porch, but my attention my focused on my cousin. Mikaela sat down heavily on the hard ground, putting her head between her knees. Ratchet's 'eyes' widened, and he looked to me, as if asking permission. I shook my head and he turned his head away slightly. I cautiously approached Mikaela and put my hand on her tan shoulder. I sat down on the damp grass, and wrapped my arms around my cousin as she wept. Her shoulder shook and I simply held her. 'She's reached her breaking point.'

Behind me, I could here the Autobots shifting awkwardly as pistons pumped quietly. Mikaela stopped crying, wiping her cheeks as she recovered from her small breakdown. Optimus must have decided that he was done waiting because he stepped over the fence and signaled the rest of the Autobots forward. Bumblebee immediately began to tiptoe around the side of the house. My cousins head immediately shot up. I made an aborted motion to stop the mechanical beings, but I cut myself off. Mikaela had no such reservations. "NO!" she hissed desperately. "NO! We've gotta stay here! If five AUTOBOTS start walking around in the middle of SUBURBIA there's gonna be a riot! If you wanna-" Mikaela shook her head. "You just gotta stay quiet and out of sight!" Optimus looked down at her for a moment.

"They will not see us."

As if on cue, Sam came running around the corner.

"What- what are you doing, what are you doing?" he immediately began to freak out. "NO! No, watch the path! Watch the path! WATch the p…. pleasepleaseplease." Optimus glanced down at him and stepped on the fountain.

"Oops… Sorry. My bad." Optimus rumbled flatly. Optimus cautiously lifted his foot, like someone who had stepped in dog poop, and a few pieces of debris clattered onto the sad pile of crushed cement. Sam began yelling.

"Uhg. I- You couldn't- You couldn't wait for five- You couldn't wait for FIVE MINUTES!? I told you to just stay put! Just STAY PUT! Oh God!" Sam turned toward my cousin, ready to continue ranting. "I told you to WATCH them! I told you to-"

"OKAY. You know what," I defended her. "They seem to be seem to be in a bit of a rush, so if-" This time, Sam interrupted me, as his gaze slid to something behind me. He paled.

"Oh this is so bad…. Oh no.. No!" Sam rushed past me. "MOJO! MOJO! OFF! Off the robot! Oh GOD!" A brown chihuahua was taking a leak on Ironhide's foot.

"Urgh. Wet." Ironhide grumbled as his face plates shifted in disgust.

The broad bot looked down at Sam as the boy dove and scooped up the small dog. I felt bad for both the hysteric boy and the disgusted Autobot.

"You have a rodent infestation..." Ironhide began.

"A WHAT?! NOnonono! EASY, easy!" Sam cut him off. "Hold on, HOLD! This is Mojo. This is Mojo. He's a pet . He's a pet. Okay? That's it. If- if you could just put the guns away- Put the- Put the guns away. Please?" Sam shied away from the spinning cannons.

"...Shall I terminate?"

"NO! NO! No, no. He- He's not a rodent. He's a chihuahua. A small dog, he's my chihuahua. We love chihuahuas. Don't we?" Sam looked to me and Mikaela for help. She nodded, but I just shrugged awkwardly.

"It leaked lubricants all over my foot." Ironhide glared at the small dog.

'Anything is a good reason to shoot a chihuahua, but this takes the cake.'

"He peed on you?! Bad Mojo! Bad Mojo!" Sam shook his dog, and I saw Mikaela turn away for a moment. Her shoulders shook before she composed herself and turned back around. Just in time to hear Ironhide.

"Bad Mojo!" He repeated. She whipped back around and tried to muffle her giggles. I slowly rubbed her back as a few snorts escaped her.

"I'm sorry. He's got a male dominance thing. That's all it is." Sam explained. Mikaela's giggles got worse, and I let out a small snort of my own.

"Urgh. My foot's gonna rust."

"OK. All right. Shhhhhhhhh!" Sam shot off towards his house, dodging the various Autobots. "SHHHHHH! Shut up and hide!" Sam called out again.

"Just hurry." Optimus grumbled irritably. Mikaela calmed down again, so I turned back to Ironhide. I slowly walked up the angry Autobot.

"Ironhide? Do you want me to wipe that off?" I called up to him softly, pointing to his foot. The bot paused, considering and nodded. I jogged over to a nearby shed and fished out a used rag. Jogging back to him, I began wiping where the dog had peed.

"Hey Ironhide," I started conversationally. He looked down at me. "When your cannons aren't pointed at me, they're actually pretty cool." Finished cleaning his foot, I smiled up at the bot's shocked face. Before he could say anything, I ran back to the shed and put away the rag. Finished with my self appointed task, I made my way back to my cousin, who was standing quietly near Optimus and Ratchet.

"Autobots, recon." I heard Optimus order. The five instantly scattered and started meandering around the yard. I covered my eyes and shook my head in exasperation. Mikaela kicked my shin, so I retaliated with a light shove. Optimus rolled his eyes at our antics, before he offered us his hand.

"Climb on." He whispered shortly. My cousin and I obeyed, clambering on. We held tight as he raised us into the air. My heart started to pound and my breaths shortened. Luckily, we were at Sam's window in no time. Mikaela shuffled in, and I followed her example as my entire body quaked. 'I hate heights…'

"Wha- what's this?" Sam questioned.

"Time is short."

"They really want those glasses," Mikaela elaborated with a shrug.

"Please hurry," Optimus whispered as he peered into the cluttered room.

Sam began rummaging through his stuff, and I dodged to the left, barely avoiding getting hit by flying debris. He popped back up, breathless with sweat beading on his brow.

"Okay," he hissed. "Yeah, no. No, it's definitely gone."

"What?" I yelped.

"What do you mean." Mikaela questioned.

"My glasses- my glasses were in the bag. They were in the backpack, and now the backpack isn't here." He gesticulated wildly with his hands.

"Well, they're gonna be pissed," Mikaela paused. "So... so what do you want to do?"

Sam looked around frantically, visibly freaking out. He started talking again, but I wasn't listening. 

'Maybe he just is panicking and forgot where he put it?' Suddenly an idea came to mind. A crazy, but simple plan. Mothers always seem to know where their kid's stuff is…..

"Sam! What's your science teacher's name and period?" I questioned him. He looked baffled, but he answered my random question.

"Mr. Meeks, 2nd period… Why?"

I decided not to answer him as I leaned out his bedroom window.

"Optimus!" I whisper yelled.

"What? Did he find it?"

"Not yet…. But I have an idea if you can get me down."

"Very well." Optimus accepted quietly, raising his hand to where I crouched on Sam's windowsill. I tried not to panic this time, and I carefully clambered onto the massive appendage, holding tight as he lowered it to the ground. I slid off, thanked him, and ran to the front door. I rang the doorbell, and tried to straighten my dirty clothes as I waited impatiently. The door swung open, and I was looking up into the face of a tired middle aged man. Plastering a bright smile on my tired face, I quickly greeted him.

"Hi! My name is Kat. I'm a classmate of Sam's. I'm sure he's told you about me? Anyways, I was gone the other day for an orthodontist appointment to get my braces off. Sam was super awesome, and offered to take notes for me."

"It's really late…" Sam's dad trailed off suspiciously.

"I know! I'm so sorry. I was caught up at work after school, and I just got off. Anyways, Sam texted me earlier that he had a worksheet from Mr. Meeks in his backpack as well as notes."

Mr. Witwicky perked up at the mention of work, appeased.

"Sure. Come on in. I'll get Judy, my wife. She'll probably know where Sam's backpack is."

Giving a relieved smile, I stepped into the house as Sam's father turned away to fetch his wife. In no time at all, I was in the kitchen with Judy and a plain backpack. Sam's dad had gone upstairs to talk to Sam. I was rummaging through it under her scrutiny and I saw the glasses. Instead of grabbing them right away, I instead snagged a white science binder. There was a crash upstairs and Judy turned away for a moment. Taking the opportunity presented, I snagged the glasses and shoved them where they would be well protected.

Judy turned to watch me again just in time for me to grab some notes and a random worksheet. I grinned at her, about to thank her as her eyes slid past me. She stared out the window in vague confusion. I whipped around, expecting to see the Autobots, but it was worse. Men in black suits roamed across the yard.

"Ron, there's guys all over the front yard!" Judy exclaimed.

She rushed up the stairs to get her husband, so I quickly adjusted the glasses as they were poking me. She came back down with her husband, Sam, and Mikaela in tow. Mikaela was blushing awkwardly and I gave her a funny look. The group trooped towards my in the kitchen, and I gave Sam a small nod. He looked at me blankly.

"Hey Sam! I found the notes for Mr. Meeks class, thanks for those," I greeted them with false cheer. Realization dawned on Sam's face, followed by relief. The relief didn't last long, as the a fist began to pound heavily on the door.


	6. Abducted by Agents, Not Aliens

I, along with Mikaela and Sam, stared at the door in horror.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh god, oh god, oh god. Oh…." Sam babbled under his breath. Ron walked to the front door and yanked it open.

"Ronald Wickity?"

"It's Witwicky. Who are you?" Ron corrected the man on his porch/

"We're the government. Sector 7." The man flashed his badge in Ron's face dramatically.

"Never heard of it."

"Never will." He shot back. "Your son's the great-grandson of Captain Archibald Wickity, is he not?" The man suddenly switched topics.

"It's Witwicky." Ron ignored the question.

"May I enter the premises, sir?" The man brushed past Ron, followed by several others.

"Ron? There's guys all over the front yard!" Judy peeked out the kitchen window in surprise.

"What the heck is going on here?!" Ron glowered at the man invading his home.

"Your son filed a stolen car report last night," the man answered, roaming the living room. "We think it's involved in a national security matter."

"They're- They're ripping up the rose bushes!" Judy continued oblivious to the conversation.

"National security?" Ron gaped at the man.

"That's right. National security." The agent assured smugly.

"My god, Ron, they're everywhere! There's guys in suits all around the house!" Judy shrieked. She spun and gestured dramatically. "Look at this!"

"Could you stay off the grass?" Sam's father called sternly out the door.

"Get me a sample and some isotope readings!"

"They're pulling bushes out of the ground!" Sam's mom cried out, snatching a conveniently placed bat. "Good lord! They've got to get their hands off my bush!" Judy tried to rush past the man in her living room, but he stopped her and grabbed her bat.

"Drop the bat, ma'am, I am carrying a loaded weapon," the man tried to calm her.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's my..." Mr. Witwicky approached and backed off when Judy gave him a Look.

"But you'd better get those guys out of my garden or I am going to beat the crap out of them." Judy snarled in his face, anger in every line of her body.

"Are you experiencing any flu-like symptoms? Aching joints? Fever?" The man shined a light in her eyes. She blinked furiously.

"No!" I continued to silently linger in the background, praying that he wouldn't notice me. Sam burst in with Mikaela at his mom's shout.

"What is this?" Sam stood near his mom defensively.

"How you doing, son? Is your name Sam?" The man shifted his attention from the angry woman to her concerned son.

"...Yeah?"

"Well, I need you to come with us," the man continued obnoxiously.

"Whoa, way out of line," Ron immediately interrupted and moved to stand in front of his son, quickly followed by Judy. Even Mojo stood in front of the small group, barking incessantly.

"Sir I am asking politely, Back off."

"You're not taking my son." Sam's father spoke with strong conviction.

"Really? You gonna try to get rough with us?"

"No, but I'm gonna call the cops, because there's something fishy going on around here." Ron's eyes flickered around the room at all the men in suits and fished for an answer.

"Yeah. There's something a little fishy about you, your son, your little Taco Bell dog and this whole operation you got going on here."

"What operation?" Ron looked at the agent incredulously.

"That is what we are gonna find out." Another agent quietly sidled up to the man.

"I think, direct contact." The second agent murmured in the man's ear. The man stared blankly at him for a moment before turning to the group, holding an odd looking gadget.

"Son?"

"Yeah?" Sam answered cautiously.

"Step forward please."

"Just stand?" My heart stopped, and I felt my face pale. Before the agent could start waving his gadget around, I quickly stepped in front of my new friend. The man just used a single arm to shove me out of the way and waved a metal stick over Sam quickly. The gadget began to beep furiously,

"Fourteen rads. Bingo! Tag them and bag them!" he ordered cheerfully. An agent approached me and my arms were yanked behind my back. I involuntarily snarled at him, and I spotted my cousin suffering the same treatment. I also saw her slip a hand into the agent's pocket for a split second. She gave me a brief look, like the cat who caught the canary. I rolled my eyes and smirked. I heard the agent barking orders again, but I ignored it in favor of shifting uncomfortably as an agent gently guided me into a nondescript SUV. Sam and my cousin were sat on both sides of me. I could hear Sam's parents yelling as they were forcefully escorted away as well. The driver started the car and we were off, heading towards an unknown destination. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before the man broke it.

"So. Uh Ladiesman217, that is your eBay username, right?"

"Yeah…. But- you know, it was a typo and I ran with it…." Sam blushed awkwardly.

"What do you make of this?" The agent questioned as he held up an old cellphone.

"My name is Sam Witwicky, okay? And my... uhh, car..." Sam's voice range out it in the silent car, static from the phone's speakers.

"Is that you?" The agent interrogated glaring at Sam.

"Yeah. That sounds like LadiesMan," Mikaela interjected flatly.

"Last night at the station, you told the officer your car transformed," he continued slowly. "Enlighten me."

"Well-Well, here's what I said, okay?" Sam stuttered out. "'Cause this is - this is a total misunderstanding, that my car had been stolen..."

"Really?"

"...From me, from my home... but it's fine now because it's back! It came back!" Everyone in the car paused to stare at Sam.

"Well….Not by itself..." Mikaela elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well no," Sam agreed instantly, wincing from the sharp blow.

"Because cars don't do that because that would be crazy," Mikaela finished the lie, letting out a fake sounding laugh. I winced. ' _I really need to teach that girl how to act…'_ The car was soon filled with awkward, fake laughter.

"That's funny, that's so funny," the man sarcastically grinned at us with false cheer. He abruptly straightened his face and glowered. "So what do you kids know about aliens, huh?" Sam and Mikaela immediately began sputtering excuses.

"Oh! You-you mean, like a Martian? Like what? E.T.? No. No." Sam blurted out.

"It's an urban legend." Mikaela drawled beside me.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding furiously. I decided to have some fun.

"ALIENS?! I KNOW ABOUT THE ALIENS! YOU CAN'T HIDE THEM FROM US! THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs. Sam, Mikaela, and the agent all stared at me. The agent shook his head and pulled out his badge again.

"You see this? This is an I-can-do-whatever-I-want-and-get-away-with-it badge." he started, waving it in our faces rudely.

"Riiiight," Sam drew out the word sarcastically.

"I'm gonna lock you up forever."

"Oh God," Mikaela interrupted. "You know what? Don't listen to him. He's just pissy 'cause he's got to get back to guarding the mall." Mikaela challenged him flatly.

"You, in the training bra, do not test me," He bit back. "Especially with your daddy's parole coming up." I saw the hurt flash through my cousin's eyes, and I bit back a growl.

"WHAT? Parole!?"

"It's nothing..." Mikaela muttered, looking down.

"Oh? Grand theft auto. That ain't nothing?" the agent continued, sneering.

"You know those cars my dad used to teach me to fix? Well, they... they weren't always his." Mikaela looked at Sam, begging him to understand with her eyes.

"You stole cars." Sam repeated flatly.

"Well...We-we couldn't always afford a babysitter," my cousin continued quietly, "So sometimes he had to take me along…."

"She's got her own juvie record to prove it! She's a criminal. Criminals. Are. Hot." he crowed triumphantly, leering at Mikaela. I snarled shifting angrily. Before anyone could stop me, I kicked out, catching the agent in the face. Hard.

"Hey, Pedo! STAY AWAY FROM MY COUSIN!" I yelled at him, as he turned away holding his nose.

"That'd be a real shame if he had to rot in jail the rest of his natural life!" He snarled at me, as blood dripped from his nose. "It is time to talk!"

The gadget that had gotten us into this mess started beeping, getting faster and louder as we continued driving. Suddenly, a large foot stepped in front of the car. Tires squealed as the driver tried to swerve out of the way, but it was too late. The car slammed into the blue metal at 60 miles an hour. My ears rang with the screech of crushed metal and yelling. The windshield shattered as we were thrown around like ragdolls. I rubbed my neck as it twinged sharply from the whiplash. I heard thudding footsteps. Just as I caught my breath, metal fingers broke through the side windows, and began lifting us up.

"I can't see it! I can't see it!" The driver strained to see beyond the spiderweb of cracks on the windshield.

"Shift your weight towards the front!" the agent from before tried to order.

"All right, ALL RIGHT!" Next to me, Mikaela repeated 'no' like a prayer.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?! I DON'T LIKE THIS! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" The yelling started up again, but this time, I joined in. I felt the SUV's tires leave the ground, and we continued our upward journey for a few seconds before the metal egan squealing. I was blinded by the bright light that shone on us as the metal finally gave out. I sucked in a deep breath just as the roof tore off. We dropped and I let out an ear piercing shriek. The car crashed to the ground, and I looked up to see Optimus toss what used to be the car roof like a piece of paper. The massive autobot shut off his lights and I felt relief wash through me as I sagged in my seat. Beside me, Mikaela hunched over trying to catch her breath.

"You A-Holes are in trouble now..." Sam murmured jubilantly. "Gentlemen. I want to introduce you to my friend, Optimus Prime."

"Taking the children was a bad move." Optimus growled as he towered over us. Agents rapidly exited totaled vehicles and surrounded our SUV, pointing their guns at him. He glared at them momentarily, before dismissing them. "Autobots. Relieve them of their weapons."

The Autobots immediately dropped in from their nearby perch. ' _An ambush? Glad they're on our side.'_ The men surrounding the car began to panic as I watched Jazz swing smoothly off the bridge followed by Ironhide, and Ratchet who twisted a little awkwardly before landing with a grunt. I could also see Bumblebee jump off a little to the side, landing gently. My attention was drawn to Ironhide as he marched forward, cannons out and ready to shoot.

"FREEZE!" Ironhide ordered in his gravelly voice. Chaos erupted as the agents visibly panicked, some scattering and others shouting out.

"Give me those!" Jazz snarled and transformed his hand. I watched in awe as weapons flew out of the agents' hands, only to be crushed in his. I could hear Mikaela murmur in amazement, and I swear I could see a smug look the silver bot shot her.

"Whoa!" the agent repeated, his hands raised as the Autobots surrounded us. His head swung forward again as our attention was drawn by Optimus kneeling down. He and his soldiers loomed over us in the night, and I could feel my heart begin to race.

"Hi there..." the agent squeaked as he waved one of his hands.

"You don't seem afraid," Optimus regarded the man. "Are you not surprised to see us?"

"Look. Th-there are S Seven protocols. Okay?" The agent tried to appease him nervously. "I am not authorized to communicate with you. Except to tell you I can't communicate with you." There was a short silence as everyone stared at him. Optimus narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Get out of the car."

"All right… Me? You want me to get..." The man's head bobbed rapidly, but otherwise he didn't move.

"NOW!" Optimus barked irritably.

Everyone jumped at his sharp order. The agent was babbling again, but I ignored him in favor of trying to shuffle out of the car while my hands were still cuffed behind my back. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned my head to look at Mikaela. She smirked, holding her unlocked handcuffs between two fingers.

"Need a hand?" She joked. I rolled my eyes, but smiled as I felt her begin to unlock my own. She freed my hands in seconds and I brought my hands in front of me while I rubbed at my sore wrists. An agent helpfully held open the side door for us, and I muttered a generic 'thanks' as I moved past him. Mikaela was quicker to exit, and she walked purposefully over to Sam, spinning him around and roughly unlocking his cuffs.

"You're good with handcuffs, too, now, huh?" He taunted as he rubbed at his wrists.

"You weren't supposed to hear all that..." My cousin muttered. She looked up at him through her lashes, hurt.

"Yeah." Sam turned away, evidently disgusted. My cousin glared at his back, before lifting her chin.

"Sam. I have a record because I wouldn't turn my dad in. When have you ever had to sacrifice anything in your perfect little life?" Sam just gaped at her, his mouth hanging open in a small 'o'. The agent was yapping again, twisting about nervously. I brushed past Sam, bumping shoulders purposefully, and stormed up to him.

"What is 'Sector Seven'?" The agent gave me a dirty look. "Answer me!" I snapped.

"I'm the one who asks questions around here. Not you, young woman!"

"How'd you know about the aliens?" Mikaela stepped up beside me.

"Where did you take my parents?" Sam chipped in.

"I am not at liberty to discuss it."

"No?" Sam looked at him for a moment, pursing his lips. Shrugging, he reached out and plucked the agent's rosette from his pocket.

"Hey, you touch me that's a federal offence," he warned him.

"Do-whatever-you-want-and-get-away-with-it badge. Right?" He mocked, waving it in his face. Sam turned it over in his hands, as we turned away. "Agent Seymour Simmons."

"Yeah. Brave now all of a sudden, with his big alien friend standing over there." Simmons grumbled.

"Where is Sector Seven?" Sam demanded still turned away, he glanced back at the agent.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Simmons taunted him, sneering.

I growled softly in the back of my throat, and stepped forward. Mikaela glanced up, and pulled me back. I followed her gaze upwards, as Bumblebee took a step forward. The black and yellow bot fiddled with his crotch area for a moment, before a plug flew off, smacking Simmons upside the head. A second later, a steady stream of clear liquid followed. I gawped for a moment as I realized what exactly was happening. Simmons began shouting protest and I began laughing again. I could see Jazz turn his head slightly behind the group of agents as his shoulders shook.

"Bumblebee, stop lubricating the man," Optimus rumbled benignly but firmly. I slowly stopped cackling, wheezing as I caught my breath.

"Get that thing to stop, huh!?" The agent was shouting again. I glared at him, but didn't move.

"I'd come over and smack you for that, but I'd rather not interact with questionable fluids." I spoke loudly, and clearly. ' _HOW DARE HE?! I've barely gotten to know Bumblebee and I know that he's not just a 'thing'!'_ I felt my face flush as I noticed the attention focused on me, and I looked down at the pavement.

"Alright. I want all of you lined up along the curb, and you. Tough guy. Take it off."

"What are you talking about?" Simmons asked Mikaela, confused.

"Your clothes, all of it, off." She ordered coldly.

"For what?" Simmons barked incredulously.

"For threatening my Dad…." she grouched. "And you're covered in questionable fluids. I'm not 100% sure how it will affect you."

"Little lady," Simmons snarled in her face. "This is the beginning of the end of your life." he tore off his suit jacket and clip on tie. "You're a criminal." He continued to strip, glaring at her. "Let's face the facts, it's in the gene pool." Mikaela arched a single brow.

"Those are nice," she nodded to the agent's ridiculous undershirt and boxers. "Now get behind the pole." I looked up as Sam and my cousin roughly cuffed Simmons to the pole. My eyes flickered to Optimus, only to see him already peering at me, blue eyes contemplative. I blushed and looked back at the agents sat in a line on the curb. My attention was drawn back to Simmons and another agent, the one who drove our SUV, as they began to threaten Sam and Mikaela again.

"This is such a felony, what you're doing," the driver spoke matter of factly.

"I will HUNT YOU DOWN." Simmons snarled at the pair as they walked back to me.

"He'll hunt you down!" the driver echoed.

"Without any remorse."

"No remorse!"

"OKAY!?" Simmons leaned close to his lackey, whispering. "We have got to alert EVERYONE."

"They already know," They driver snuck a phone out of his pocket, tilting it to show Simmons the bright screen. "Speaker." I perked up when I overheard their conversation, jogging over to them. Before he could react I snatched the phone out of the driver's loose grip.

"Not today!" I grunted, throwing the phone to the ground and smashing the screen with my heel. I looked up at Optimus again, but this time with determination. "We need to leave." On cue, I heard the sound of multiple vehicles approaching. The Autobot's scattered, transforming and speeding away, and Optimus offered Sam, Mikaela, and I a hand.

"Up you get," he ordered gently. We quickly scrambled on, holding tight as the tall bot began to run, smoothly dodging cars on the road, and buildings. A pair of choppers tailed behind us, but Optimus took a sharp turn and ducked under a bridge. He shifted us onto his shoulder, muttering a quick hold on as he heaved himself up in between the girders of the bridge. I quaked where Optimus had placed me in the crook of his neck, gripping hard enough for my knuckles to turn white. I shifted minutely, trying to get a better foothold.

"Easy, you three," Optimus breathed, and I froze. Sam and Mikaela clutched at his shoulder plates. Sam began to slide on the sheer surface, and he tried to scramble backwards, but slipped. Instinctively, Mikaela lunged for him, and pulled him up. Suddenly, she lost her footing and their roles switched, Sam awkwardly hanging on to Optimus' shoulder as Mikaela clutched to his hand. The choppers flew beneath us, and the air buffeted us. I saw Sam's fingers slip. I reached out, gripping his arm. A low whine escaped me as I strained, using a single arm to hold the three of us aloft. I could hear Mikaela and Sam yelling, but I focused on my hand as it slowly slipped from it's handle. I lost my grip and we screamed, falling. Time slowed down as I saw Optimus' foot swing out in an attempt to catch us, but he missed. I heard squealing tires and suddenly Bumblebee was there, snatching us out of the air and clutching us to his chest as he crashed to the ground. He set us down, pushing himself to his feet, only to be snagged by a cable, shot from the chopper above us. It was tangled around his hand and be yanked back, tugging and pulling at it trying to free himself. Another chopper appeared, shooting a cable at his free hand, trapping that as well. He was yanked off balance when they ensnared his feet as well.

"NO! STOP IT!" I yelled, running to him. I pulled at the wire surrounding the limb closest to me. I found a hook stuck into Bumblebee's armour and yanked it out. The wire around his arm slid free, and I moved on to his other hand. I heard cars approaching and I tried to hurry. The SUV's came to a screeching halt around us, agents jumping out. Armed soldiers surrounded us, aiming odd looking guns at the struggling bot. One knocked me away, and I hit the asphalt hard. White mist clouded my vision as they shot liquid nitrogen at Bumblebee. He began screaming, crying out as he jerked and twisted, trying to get away.

"NO! Stop!" Sam bellowed, tackling one of the soldiers. "Stop!" The soldier rolled over and pinned Sam with his hands behind his back. "NO! STOP IT! LOOK! He's not fighting back!"

I shrieked unintelligibly lunging at another of the soldiers. Mikaela tried to do the same, but she was quickly subdued. I wrestled the nitrogen gun away from the man I was entangled with. My victory was short lived as I was knocked off. I fell back as somebody tackled me. The soldier above me tried to hit me with the butt of his gun. He was yanked off me by the scruff of his Kevlar vest as Bumblebee tried to protect me. I rolled away and jumped to my feet, continuing my assault on the men attacking my friend. I bit and scratched at everything I could reach, trying to help the bot in any way I could. I was tackled to the ground again, but I fell out of reach of Bumblebee this time. The glasses flew out of my bra and skidded on the road. I flailed, knocking them away so the agents wouldn't see them. I tried to buck the soldier off me, but I lost consciousness as something collided with my temple.


	7. Oh Dam!

Mikaela POV

I struggled against my cuffs, trying to free myself as I watched a soldier hit my cousin with his gun. Kat slumped, and I began to struggle harder even as I felt the skin of my wrists begin to bleed. I bit my lip as I looked around. The yellow autobot, Bumblebee was thrashing again, screaming as he tried to escape his bonds. Sam was being stuffed in the closest SUV, squirming and shouting as he tried to return to Bumblebee.

"Stop hurting him!" I yelled, struggling against tmy cuffs. "He's not fighting back! Stop hurting him!" Tears began to drip down my cheeks and I tried to escape again and help the bot, but I was swiftly restrained. The agents dragged me away, only to be stopped by Simmons, who now wore a Kevlar vest over his underclothes.

"Happy to see me again?" Simmons mocked with a sneer. "Put her in the car with her little boyfriend." I glared and spat at him as I was shoved past. I was pushed into the car with Sam, and my cousin was roughly tossed in with us. She slumped against me, her head lolling. I could already see a bruise forming on her head where the man had hit her. I heard Simmons yelling orders and the car started. The driver slowly followed the other black SUV's, the entourage heading towards an unknown destination once more.

Kat POV

I groaned and shifted in my seat. ' _Ow… My head...'_ I opened my eyes, looking around myself. I was leaning on Mikaela who was asleep, drooling on Sam's shoulder. I slowly sat up noticing the two agents upfront, and looked out the window. We were pulling into a mostly empty strip of asphalt surrounded by trees. Two helicopters sat on the helicopter pad, their blades spinning slowly. I sat up, and elbowed my cousin.

"Get up," I hissed. I reached over her to shake Sam awake. "Come on. Get up!" They groaned, and blinked themselves awake. The car stopped, and we were quickly ushered out. Agents uncuffed us and escorted us to the helicopters. We were quickly clipped in and headsets were given to us. I think Mikaela might have said something, but I couldn't hear anything over the helicopter's blades whirling above our heads. Another SUV pulled in next to the one we had travelled in. It parked and two people were escorted to our helicopter. A small blonde woman and an overweight black man. They were handed headsets as well, and we were off. The first helicopter took off, taking the lead, and ours followed. I looked out the side, watching the sunrise. Our small group sat in a awkward silence for several minutes, before Sam gathered the courage to break it.

"So…" he trailed off, looking at the two across from us.

"What'd they get you for?" The woman called back curiously. Sam shrugged nervously.

"I- um.. I bought a car. Turned out to be an alien robot..." The man's eyes widened and he gaped at Sam. He turned to me and mouthed the word 'wow'. "Who knew?" Sam snarked.

"What's your names?" I spoke up from the side. The blonde turned to me, gesturing to herself then to the man beside her.

"I'm Maggie. This is Glen."

"Pleasure," I smiled at her. "I'm Kat, this is my cousin Mikaela, and her friend Sam." Sam shot me a hurt look when I declared him Mikaela's friend. I smirked, and turned my attention back to the scenery below us. I watched as we flew over trees, cars, and buildings. It felt like an eternity, but we finally touched down on another helipad. We were quickly ushered into more SUVs and then we were off again. We drove for hours, Sam and Mikaela sleeping for most of it. We finally came to a stop on a bridge. I got out of the car, looking around at the people taking pictures before I looked over the side of the bridge. " _This isn't a bridge…. It's a dam!'_ I accidentally knocked a pebble over the edge, and watched as it skittered down. I felt my stomach drop as I quickly drew back from the edge. I made my way back to Sam and my cousin, walking with them as we were guided forward. We were met by Agent Simmons, who was once again wearing clothes. Behind him, a squad of tired looking soldiers were saluting to an older man.

"Hey kid," Simmons greeted Sam, disregarding us. "I think we got off to a bad start. Huh? You must be hungry. You want a latte? HoHo? Double-venti Macchiato?" He reached out to clasp Sam's shoulder.

"Where's my car." Sam stared him in the eye.

"Son," another agent interrupted. "I need you to listen to me very carefully, ok? People can die here. We need to know everything you know, and we need to know it NOW."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "But first I'll take my car, my parents,- maybe you should write this down. Oh and her juvie record? That's gotta be gone. Like, forever." He and I turned to look at Sam incredulously. Irritation flashed across the agent's face for s split second.

"Come with me," the agent ordered. "We'll talk about your car."

"Thank you." Mikaela whispered to Sam as we followed the agent.

"Man's an extortionist…" Simmons grumbled as we passed him. We passed the soldiers who fell into step behind us. Maggie and Glen walked next to us. Our entourage made its way down stairs and to the bottom of the dam. At some point, Simmons had ended up in front with a handful of soldiers.

"Alright here's the situation. You've all had direct contact with the NBEs," Simmons began.

"NBEs?" a soldier next to him questioned.

"Non-Biological Extraterrestrials. Try to keep up with the acronyms" Simmons snapped. "What you're about to see is totally classified." he continued, leading us into the dam. We walked through series of caverns, entering an enormous cavern filled with machines and workers. At one end, an enormous bot was propped upright by a pair of massive cranes. It was completely frozen, but I could almost see life in the dull red eyes.

"Dear God...What is this?" the older gentleman breathed. I stared at the behemoth in horror. ' _Is that…. Megatron?'_ Simmons moved closer to the monstrosity.

"We think, when he made his approach over the north pole, our gravitational field screwed up his telemetry. He crashed in the ice, probably a few thousand years ago. We shipped him here to this facility in 1934." Simmons explained. "We call him, NBE1." Sam stared up at the frozen bot, before turning to Simmons.

"Well, sir, I don't mean to correct you on everything you think you know," Sam crossed his arms. "But, that's Megatron. He's the leader of the Decepticons," he continued.

"Think of him as Space Hitler. Except worse, and add a dash of unhinged serial killer," I intergected. I could see horror slip across the older man's face, as well as the soldiers'.

"He's been in cryostasis since 1935." the agent gestured to Megatron, gazing at Sam. "Your great-great-grandfather? Made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind."

"Fact is, you're looking at the source of the modern age," Simmons continued confidently. "The microchip, lasers, spaceflight, cars? All reverse-engineered, by studying him. NBE1. That's what we call it." He hissed at Sam.

"And you didn't think the United States military might need to know that you're keeping a hostile alien robot frozen in the basement?" the elderly man demanded incredulously. He must have seen the confusion on my face, because a soldier leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"That's the Defense Secretary John Keller. The man he's talking to is Tom Banachek. Apparently, he's in charge of this facility. Or so he claims." I nodded, and shot him a thankful look. The name tag on his uniform read Lennox, so I made an educated guess on his last name.

"Until these events, we had no credible threat to national security," Banachek calmly told him.

"Well you got one now," Keller sassed, turning away.

"So why Earth?" Lennox called, raking his eyes over Megatron's frozen form

"It's the AllSpark." Sam called out. Keller turned to him questioningly.

"AllSpark? What is that?"

"Well yeah, they came here looking for some sort of cube looking thing," Sam had a fervent expression as he answered Keller's question. "Anyway Mr. NBE one here, AKA Megatron," Sam directed his next comment to Simmons. "That's what they call him, who's pretty much the harbinger of death, wants to use the cube, to transform human technology to take over the universe." He shifted unhappily, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's their plan."

"And you're sure about that?" Simmons mocked, sneering.

"Yeah," I spoke up. Mikaela nodded empathetically next to me. Sam stared at the agent as a lightbulb went off in his head.

"You guys know where it is, don't you?" Sam scoffed, his lips twitching into a sardonic smile.

The agent peered at us but nodded slowly. "Follow me," He gestured.

"You're about to see, our crown jewel," Simmons bragged as we walked into another massive tunnel. We emerged into a cavern far larger than the last. In the center of it, a gargantuan cube. ' _The AllSpark…'_ I stared at the sacred relic in awe. Despite what Optimus had told and showed us, nothing could prepare me for the sheer magnitude, both physically and spiritually. Behind me a soldier, whose uniform designated him Figuera, gasped and muttered fervently in Spanish.

"Carbon dating puts the cube here around 10,000 BC," the agent announced, turning like a tour guide. "The first seven didn't find it until 1913, they knew it was alien because of the matching hieroglyphics on the Cube as well as NBE One. President Hoover had the dam built around it. Four football fields thick of concrete, a perfect way to hide its' energy from being detected by anyone, or any alien species on the outside." He summarized blandly.

"Wait, wait, backup," Maggie interrupted imploringly, "You said the dam hides the Cube's energy. What kind of energy, exactly?"

"Good question," the agent turned, motioning us to follow him. "Follow me please." Our unconventional group changed direction, and we were herded into a small room.  
We went through another door.

"Please step inside. They have to lock us in." The agent warned. The doors shut with an ominous thud. We circled around a well lit glass box in the middle of the room as the workers in the room handed out some type of goggles. My attention was drawn to the corner when Glen let out a soft exclamation. The soldier in front of where we were looking, slowly turned around. His eyes raked up and down the shredded metal of the wall.

"Whassat?" He breathed, just loud enough for me to hear. "Freddy Krueger done been up in here or somethin'?" Glen crept nearer to the soldier and the ravaged wall.

"Oh, no, man." Glen waved at the deep scores in the metal. "Freddy Krueger have four blades, man. That's only three." He grinned, making motions with his hands, laughing nervously. "That's Wolverine! Right? That's Wolverine!" I smirked at the reference, but the soldier shot him a strange look as Simmons jeered from his corner.

"That's very funny. Anybody have any mechanical devices? BlackBerry, key alarm, cell phone?"

"I got a phone," Glen sheepishly tossed it to Simmons. The man examined the small device, then carefully placed it in the glass box.

"Oh, Nokias' are real nasty. You've gotta respect the Japanese, they know the way of the samurai." He sealed the opening and stepped back saying something to the scientists in the room. I stared at him, incredulous.

"Nokia's from Finland…." Maggie whispered to Keller, voicing my thoughts.

"Yes...but he's, you know, a little strange," He muttered back before placing a finger to his lips. "He's a little strange."

"We're able to take the Cube's radiation and funnel it into that box." Simmons boasted loudly as machinery whirred to life. There was a bright flash of light and everybody flinched back in surprise. At first nothing happened, but then the phone began to violently shake. Suddenly, it shattered into a million pieces then reformed into a miniscule bot. The thing was so tiny it could fit into my hands, easily. It whipped around, muttering as it glared at us. Weapons began to appear on its body, and it fired peppering the glass. It bounced around erratically, chirping and squeaking angrily.

"Mean little sucker, huh?" Simmons snarked.

"That thing is freaky!" Maggie yelled as it slammed into the glass inches from her face.

"Kind of like the itty-bitty Energizer bunny from hell, huh?" The agent continued. The bot went on thrashing and throwing itself around, as the glass began to crack under the assault. Simmons scowled, snatching a trigger from one of the workers.

"He's breaking the box," He went to push the button, but something came over me and I suddenly understood.

"NO!" Simmons froze at my howl, as did the rest of the rooms occupants. "If you push that button, so help me God, I will end you." I growled at him. I leaned closer to the box and the tiny bot, who cowered away from me. Thinking, I followed my instincts and let out a shrill whistle. The note pierced the air in the silent room, and the bot shifted slightly before it let out a low keen. I whistled a few more pitches to it, and rested my finger against the glass. The small bot tentatively skittered forward, and reached out. On the other side of the glass, it placed it's tiny hand where my finger lay. I could vaguely hear other people gasped, but I ignored it. I carefully reached around and unlatched the box.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Several people yelled, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a soldier reach out to me. I shot the group a piercing glare.

"I'm letting it out. Because it. Is. A. Child." I enunciated each word slowly. Turning back to the bot, I gently eased the door open, and placed my hand in the opening. It scuttled back, clearly scared, but I whistled a gentle tune. It crept forward until it was almost to my hand. The room collectively held its breath as it carefully crawled into my grasp. I pulled my hand away, and cradled the small being to my chest. It looked up at me with wide eyes, but snuggled close to my chest and clutched my shirt.

"Ma'm I'm gonna need you to put that thing back in the box," Lennox cautiously ordered me.

"It is a child," I said. "And no, I won't."

"That is a violent monster," Simmons growled at me.

"It is SENTIENT!" I retorted loudly. "It is a fully functioning Cybertronian child!"

"How do you know?" Simmons sneered at me, and I turned to him angrily, spitting my words.

"Because I've MET them! TALKED with them! JOKED with them! They may be Autonomous Robotic Organisms from space, but they are a people," I paused to catch my breath, and continued in a softer tone. "In fact, I was safer when I was with them than when I was with you. You people keep talking bad about them, but when I was with them, not once did they try to hurt me. On the other hand, you people abducted me in the middle of the night, threatened me, attacked me, and even knocked me out! I have no reason to trust you, but the Autobots have given me hundreds of reasons to trust them." There was only silence after I finished my short speech. Sam and Mikaela were gaping at me, as was the rest of the room. Lennox snapped out of it first, snarling in Simmons face.

"YOU PEOPLE HURT AND KIDNAPPED TEENAGERS!?"

"I-" Simmons squeak was cut off by deep rumble and the sound of screeching metal.


	8. AllSpark

The shrill noise and distant rumbles echoed in the enclosed room before fading away. We all looked around us in worried confusion. Keller slowly turned to look at our group, his face pale.

"Gentlemen, they know the Cube is here." Silence echoed after his grim statement, broken only by the agent.

"Banachek. What's happening?" We turned to the uptight agent as he spoke into an intercom.

"Sir, the NBE-One hangar has lost power-" another man answered over the speaker.

"What?!" Banachek interrupted the other agent.

"-and the backup generator just isn't gonna cut it!" The blood drained from my face as the implications hit me. 'If the power is out…. Megatron is too!' Lennox grabbed Banachek by shoulder and spun the agent to face him.

"Do you have an arms room?" he demanded, Banachek nodded sharply, something akin to panic flickering in his eyes. I clutched the little Nokia bot to my chest, part of me glad that they were distracted from him. Banachek pressed a button, and the doors were slowly opened from the outside. Once we filed out Banachek began spouting orders and gestured for us to follow him. We ran down through another room and down a dimly lit corridor. I could hear some of the men talking as we ran, but I focused on keeping up with them and their longer legs. We finally made it to the arms room, which was stocked full of various weapons, gear, and ammo. I stood with Sam and Mikaela off to the side, trying not to get in the way.

I surreptitiously snagged a pistol off a nearby rack, as well as several loaded magazines, and shoved them into my waistband under my jacket. All around us soldiers methodically grabbed, loaded, and checked weapons. The lights flickered as another dull thud resonated in the distance.

The entire room immediately froze and Simmons awkwardly finished cocking his gun, staring at the ceiling. Sam strode over to Simmons in the silence.

"You got to take us to my car," Sam begged. "You have to take us to my car. He's gonna know what to do with the Cube-"

"You car?" Simmons deflected, fiddling with his gun. "It's confiscated."

"Then un-confiscate it." Sam sassed, and Simmons' lip curled.

"We do not know what will happen if we let it near this thing!"

"You don't know-" Sam pointed out, but Simmons interrupted him angrily.

"Maybe you know, but I don't know-" This time it was Sam's turn to interrupt.

"You just want to sit here and wait and see what happens?" Sam hissed dangerously. I quickly went to support him, followed by my cousin. We each stood behind him, daring Simmons to deny us.

"I have people's lives at stake here, young man." He yelled, and I felt someone push past me. I was surprised when Lennox shoved the arrogant agent into the car behind him.

"Take him to his car!" Lennox roared, grabbing the man's lapels. The S-Seven security immediately trained their guns on the Captain, who simply raised his pistol in return and ordered them to drop their guns. His unit didn't hesitate to defend him, quickly disarming the guards. I even saw one soldier slamming the butt of his newly acquired rifle into their faces.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Banachek called, spreading his hands. The soldiers finished disarming the security and held them at gunpoint.

"Drop your weapon soldier," Simmons tried to reason, but Lennox just glared at him. "There's an alien war going on and you're gonna shoot me?"

"You know, we didn't ask to be here," Lennox rebuked him, tightening his hold on the man's shirt.

"I'm ordering you under S-Seven executive jurisdiction-"

"S-Seven don't exist!" Epps interrupted the agent, glancing back for a split second.

"Right," Lennox nodded to Epps. "And we don't take orders from people who don't exist."

"I'm gonna count to five," Simmons began nervously. "Okay?"

"Well, I'm gonna count to three." Lennox snarled softly, digging his gun into Simmons sternum. I couldn't help the admiration that swelled in me, even as I wordlessly watched the scene unfold.

"Simmons?" Keller jumped in, gaining everybody's attention without having to raise his voice.

"Yessir?"

"I'd do what he says," the Sec Def gave the agent a pointed look. "Losing's really not an option for these guys." I was impressed with how calm the man sounded, considering I felt like I was about to pass out.

"Alright. Okay." Simmons conceded mutinously. "Hey. You want to lay the fate of the world on the kid's Camaro? That's cool."

"He's not just a Camaro Simmons," I berated him softly. I could feel people's attention on me again and I blushed, but continued. "He's a sentient being, with a name." Simmons shook his head.

"Whatever kid," Simmons dusted himself off and made his way to the door. "Let's go."

We ran through the halls again, following Simmons and Banachek as they lead us to Bee. We ran through several more rooms, and I stopped cold when I saw him. The bot who had saved my life lay thrashing on a hard table, held down by thick cables. He was whining and crying out as men aimed more freezing guns at heart dropped, and a scream passed my lips, unbidden.

"BUMBLEBEE!" He began to thrash harder and began wailing as best he could with a damaged vocoder. Sam brushed past me, followed by Banachek.

"Stop! Stop stop stop!" They both yelled, and then men aiming the cold guns slowly backed off. The room waited nervously as Bee continued to thrash against the cables, wailing. I ran forward, quickly followed by Sam and Mikaela.

"Let him go! Let him go!" Banachek ordered, and one of the men hit a button. The cables suddenly went slack and Bee shoved them off.

"Bee!" I cried out. His head whipped toward us and a mask slid over his face when he saw the tense soldiers behind us. Sam stepped up beside me, addressing his Guardian.

"Are you okay?" Sam questioned quickly. "They didn't hurt you, right?" Bee didn't answer him. Instead, his mask receded and he rolled off the table. A cannon whirred to life in place of one of his hands, and he loomed over us in a protective stance.

"Listen to me," Sam tried to placate him. "The Cube is here, and the Decepticons are coming." Bumblebee didn't seem to hear him so I edged closer to him, and reached up. Glancing down at me, Bee gently scooped me into his free arm. I focused on his face as soldiers shifted nervously and patted his cheek. He carefully surveyed them, aiming his cannon in their general direction.

"No, no don't worry about them," I told him quickly. "They're okay, right? They're not going to hurt you, not anymore. Okay?" He gave me a disbelieving look, but Sam backed me up.

"Just back up a little bit." Sam called out to the soldiers. "He's friendly, he's fine," Sam turned to Bee and I, trying to calm him. "Okay, come on. Put the guns down, they're not gonna hurt you." Bee nodded cautiously and powered down his weapons, but didn't put me down. My eyes were suddenly drawn to a large group of dents and cuts that littered his face and neck. I reached out with shaking fingers, and grazed them. Bee flinched minutely, and I swallowed my horror.

"Bee…" I ghosted my fingers along his jaw. "Are you okay? What did they do to you…" My solemn words echoed in the silent chamber. Bee looked at me sadly, and spoke.

"Kitten-/ Auto-/ -bots / are trained to/ resist/ torture-" Bee's comment was a variety of sound clips thrown together, but I still understood it. My brows furrowed slightly.

"Why did you start wailing when I came in?" Bee gave me another sad look, but this time it was mixed with fierce determination.

"Though they were-/ hurting/ -you." I smiled up at him, even as my eyes watered.

"Don't worry Bee. They didn't hurt me, I'm okay." Two of the antenna-like appendages on the top of his head flicked up, then pressed flat against his helm and one of his large fingers gently traced the side of my face- where I had been hit by the gun.

"Except for that," I admitted sheepishly. Bee looked bemused.

"Except for that," he parroted my own words back at me. Behind me I could hear various soldiers muttering creative expletives and my attention was drawn back to the problem at hand. I patted the arm holding me, and Bee lowered me to the ground. I wiggled out of his grasp, gesturing for him to follow me.

"Here, come with me. I'm gonna take you to the AllSpark." Bee visibly perked up, and the group was once again running through the halls. Bee kept up easily, but was careful not to overtake any of the humans running in front of him. We emerged in the massive chamber that housed the AllSpark. We stopped at the sight of the colossal cube, and even Bee seemed to gaze at it in awe. The Nokia bot chittered quietly in my pocket, but I caressed it with one hand and it quieted.

Quickly, the Autobot strode towards the AllSpark and reverently reached up.

The Cube dwarfed him, and I briefly wondered what he was going to do with it. His fingers brushed it's surface before he carefully prodded it, and energy rippled across it. I could hear one of the soldiers muttering somewhere behind me, but all I could focus on was the AllSpark. The ancient artefact, which had been silent, began to hum. The hair on my arms stood up and I shuddered as a wave of energy seemed to wash over me. The Cube let off a slight glow as it began to fold in on itself, clicking quietly as cubes within cubes formed, shrunk, and disappeared.

"Oh my god," My cousin breathed, covering her mouth in amazement. The AllSpark continued to shrink until it landed safely into Bee's waiting hands. It seemed to shock him, not unlike a static charge, and he peered at it. Satisfied, his eyes flicked towards the waiting soldiers.

"Message from Starfleet Captain/ Let's get to it." Bee nodded to them.

"He's right," Lennox spoke firmly, looking around himself. "We stay here, we're screwed with Megatron in the other hangar. Mission city is 22 miles away," He pointed in a random direction, and looked Keller in the eyes. "We're gonna sneak that Cube out of here, and we're going to hide it somewhere in the city." Keller nodded firmly, glad to have some sort of plan.

"But we cannot make a stand, without the Air Force," he continued forcefully. The Sec Def immediately turned to Simmons.

"This place must have some kind of radio link," he prompted.

"Yes-"

"-Shortwave. CB."

"Right! Yes." Simmons' head bobbed up and down rapidly, and Lennox jumped in.

"Sir, you got to figure out some way to get word out to them," Lennox turned to his men. "Let's move!" The soldiers turn, and run towards one of the tunnels. I follow, a little confused, with Bee, Sam, and my cousin close behind. We emerge in the same tunnel we had come in, and Bee transforms. The soldiers gawk, but are quick to turn away.

"Alright, Sam, get in the car!" Sam nods, and we pile in. I end up in the backseat again, with the AllSpark in my lap. I can hear Lennox call out in a commanding tone, but I can't focus on it. I can feel the Cube in my lap, and something brushing against me. Bee takes off, driving down the tunnel.


	9. Battle of Mission City pt 1

The bright light blinds me when we shoot out of the dark tunnel. I let my eyes adjust, glad that I was buckled in as Bee hurtled around corners. Military jeeps fell in behind us, Bee taking point. The Allspark is in my lap and nervously tighten my hold on it. A warm hand grabs mine, squeezing it. I look up at my cousin as she smiles down at me, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"How's the Cube?" Sam shifts nervously up front, shooting glances backwards.

"It's fine," Mikaela answers for me, touching his shoulder with her free hand. "Calm down. Deep breaths. Okay?" Sam nodded rapidly, sucking in deep lungfuls of air. My stomach tingles and I feel vaguely nauseous. What feels like a tendril grazes across my being. I couldn't begin to describe it. It was like my heart and mind, but not. Curious, I welcome it, and it reached deeper. The presences stays for what may have been an eternity, but it jerked away at Sam's voice.

"There's Optimus!" Sam's shout drags me back to reality. He waves at the massive blue and red truck as is passes, but quickly pulls his arm back into the car. It's understandable, considering the breakneck speed we're traveling at. I look behind just in time to witness Optimus pull off a truly spectacular u-turn with all his wheels on the ground. The silver sports car -Jazz I think?- is close behind him. Ironhide and Ratchet opted for wider turns, but no less graceful.

"I bet that some of the soldiers are just as impressed as I am," I mused thoughtfully. I jumped as realization hit me a split second later. 'The soldiers!'

"Bee, can you patch me through to the soldier's radio waves- the ones in their Jeeps?" I leaned forward eagerly. His radio dial spun as he searched for a clip to answer me.

"On it, Captain." The distinct accent made me think of Star Trek, and I thanked him quietly as a few moments passed awkwardly. "Go ahead, talk." This time the quote was obviously from a cop show, but I nodded my assent.

"Lennox?" I called out hesitantly.

"Whose this?"

"It's Kat, I just wanted to inform you that the new additions to our escort is our Autobot allies, the peterbilt is Optimus Prime, the black truck is his weapons master Ironhide, the search and rescue is… um… shoot-"

"Actually, it's Ratchet," Optimus' voice rumbled through Bumblebee's speakers unexpectedly. "And the pontiac is my second in command, Jazz." I laugh sheepishly, leaning back in my seat, wincing when my hidden gun digs into my back.

"Sorry Ratchet, I'm terrible with names," I call out.

"You're forgiven Kat," the lime green autobot huffs gruffly over the radio. "After all, we only met a few hours ago."

"Lennox, yes?" Optimus interrupts smoothly.

"Yessir. Prime?"

"Correct. Scout Bumblebee sent me the plans. Is it permissible for the Autobots to assist?"

"Of course. So long as you guys are okay with our help as well."

"Affirmative."

The conversation came to an abrupt end as police sirens wailed behind us. We continued to speed down the freeway, not slowing. Sam, Mikaela and I all twist in our seats to look behind, only to see the same cop who had attacked us before accompanied by a large military vehicle. I was obviously not the only one to recognize the cop car, because Sam began to ramble.

"No nonnononono-"

"What?!" Mikaela interrupted Sam.

"It's the same cop!" This time it was Ironhide who interrupted Sam and I jumped, having briefly forgotten about the radio.

"Barricade," Ironhide growled over the radio. "That slagger was reported dead on Kaon!" The military vehicle with Barricade began knocking cars out of the way, and even flipping them. It transformed behind us and began to skate on the road, peds digging into the asphalt.

"I'll take Bonecrusher," Optimus's deep voice barked through the radio. Not a moment later, he hit his brakes, slowing down as he transformed quickly. Watching a peterbilt truck rearranging itself into a 30- something foot tall robot is somewhat of a shocking experience.

"Holy…." Lennox breathed over the radio. Optimus leaped, skidding as he tried to slow himself down. Behind him, Bonecrusher rammed himself into a bus, tearing it in half like a paper banner. I prayed that it was void of passengers as I heard my cousin whisper a prayer. The Decepticon throws himself at Optimus, succeeding in taking the large Autobot over the edge of the overpass with him.

Not soon after we lost sight of the Decepticons and Optimus, we entered the city. Lennox ordered us to pull over when he spotted something. Lennox jumps out of his vehicle and enters the small pawn shop, only to run back out a minute later. He throws something in his arms at Epps, and ordered us to move out.

"Alright," He yelled. "Let's go!" Captain Lennox got back in his vehicle as our entourage continued down the street. I could still hear him and Epps through the radio.

"Here, I got shortwave radios."

"What- what am I supposed to do with these?" Epps sounded baffled.

"Well USE 'em. It's all we've got," Lennox snarked at his fellow soldier.

"This is like Radio Shack dinosaur radios or somethin' man," Epps muttered. "I'm only gonna get like 20, 30 miles out of these." There was a long pause and background noise that came through Bee's speakers for a moment. "Are there any aircraft orbiting the city?" There was a click and another pause. A military plane flew overhead, expertly weaving between buildings.

"F-22, twelve o'clock," Lennox reported. The F-22 disappeared from sight, and I narrowed my eyes. Something seemed...off.

"I want planes for air cover and get Blackhawks on station to extract that Cube. Got it?" the Captain's voice came over the radio again. There was a signal and out group stopped, soldiers quickly exiting vehicles and setting up. Sam, Mikaela, and I got out of Bumblebee as well, staring around us nervously. Pedestrians watched us warily, but I ignored them. The soldiers stood ready around us, and the Autobots stayed in vehicle form. The plane passed over head again and Lennox took action.

"Air Force has arrived, pop smoke!" he ordered.

"Raptor, Raptor, do you copy? We have your visual," Epps spoke quickly into the brick-like radio. "Green smoke is the mark, provide air cover and vector Black Hawks for extraction." There was a muffled clang and then green smoke billowed out of it's canister. The F-22 screams overhead for a third time, and then the black truck began to transform. His blue eyes narrowed at the sky before whipping back to the soldiers.

"It's Starscream!" Ironhide roared. The soldiers stared at him for a moment before Epps slowly raised the radio to his lips.

"...Please tell me you copy." Ironhide charge forward, careful to avoid the now screaming pedestrians. He motioned at his fellow bots as he barked out orders.

"Back up! Take cover! Bumblebee," Ironhide nodded at Bee, who transformed and followed the black Autobot. The pair of aliens approached a nearby delivery truck, both grabbing a side.

"Nonononononono! Move!" Lennox roared.

"Back up! Back up!" Ironhide yelled back at the soldiers as he and Bumblebee braced against the truck.

"Retreat! Fall back!" Lennox bellowed, soldiers around us jumping out of their vehicles. We all tried to get out of the way, but it was too late.

"Incoming!" Ironhide warned, before a deafening explosion shook the ground and the force of it threw us.


	10. Battle of Mission City pt 2

The noise of the blast roared in my ears as I flew backward, blown away by the force of the explosion. I landed hard on my back, chest aching as the breath was knocked out of me. A second later I felt a heavy weight land on the left side of my body. I groaned- I think, my ears were still ringing- and turned my head to look at what had landed on me.

A soldier, one I didn't recognize, lay atop me covered in blood and small debris. His eyes were closed and a stream of blood trailed down his face. My heart leaped in my throat and I lifted my right arm. Carefully, I managed to slip my trembling fingers between his helmet and vest. Heady relief filled me when I felt his fluttering heartbeat.

I wiggled and squeezed myself out from under him, heaving myself to my feet. I could faintly hear people shouting, but I couldn't make much of it out. I looked around, surveying the scene around me. Soldiers were quickly regrouping and ducking behind large piles of rubble and burned out cars. I glanced down at the unconscious soldier laying out in the open and grimaced.

I bent down, hooking my arms under his, and began to drag him along the ground. I stopped after a few feet, panting from exertion. I spotted another burned out car a couple feet away and got back to work. I thought I heard Sam calling for Ratchet, and began to double my effort. I made it behind the car where another pair of soldiers were already crouched behind it.

"I'll just… leave him here," I gasped out to them. One nodded and helped my drag his unconscious comrade behind the car. I smiled somewhat awkwardly and turned tail. The ringing had stopped now and I could hear Sam's voice again. I ran towards it, only stopping when I saw the back of his head poking out above the rubble.

"I'm not gonna leave you," Sam promised sadly. When I saw Bee, I understood why. I clapped a hand over my mouth when I saw the state my new friend was in. He was dented and dusty, but the worst part was his legs. Or lack thereof. His legs from the knee down had been completely blown off. As I moved closer I could hear his small whines with every movement. I crouched next to Bee and caressed his chin. I tugged lightly, turning his face towards mine. I stared directly into his eyes, dim with pain, and spoke with a conviction that I didn't have.

"You're gonna be okay. We're all gonna make it out of this alive." As soon as I finished my sentence, a white tow truck screeched to a halt next to me. Mikaela jumped out and began ordering us around. The four of us maneuvered Bee onto the tow truck and secured him with chains. Distantly we heard a deep roar and loud explosions. I think I may have heard Megatron's name, but I couldn't be sure. Sam was just finishing attaching the chains to Bee's frame when Lennox ran up to us.

"Where is the Cube?"

"It's right there," Sam gestured to where the object in question sat atop the rubble. He continued working on the chains near Bee's head. Lennox nodded and gestured for him to come down. Sam, after checking over his work, complied.

"Okay," Lennox began. He set down his weapon and pulled something out of his belt. "Alright, I can't leave my guys back there, so I need you to take this flare," Lennox shoved it in his hands and picked up the Cube. He continued briskly, "Okay, there is a tall white building with statues on top, so get to the roof, light the flare, signal the chopper-"

"No, I can't-" Sam interrupted Lennox's ordered to begin his litany of panicked babbling.

"Listen to me!" Lennox shoved the Cube in Sam's arms and grabbed his shoulders. "You're a soldier now! I need you to take this Cube…" I drowned the rest of Lennox yelling as I saw a half transformed Megatron fly past, a furious Jazz grasped in his silver talons. My heart jumped in my throat and I slipped away without a word.

I dashed through panicking crowds, trying to get there in time. I had to do something! Anything! I couldn't stay back, not with Jazz's life on the line. I'm no idiot. I know that Megatron intends to kill Jazz. I just don't know how, or whether or not I can prevent it.

I glimpsed a sliver of silver atop a nearby building, and I stopped. I glanced up at Megatron and looked at the entrance of the office building right next to me. I burst through the doors, the workplace already empty, and ran for the stairwell. I rushed through the heavy door and up the stairs.

I ran as fast as I could, lungs burning and pumping my arms. Breath escaped me in huge gusts of air and I tried not to cough as I ran. I took the stairs two steps at a time, trying not to trip on the cold concrete. The stairwell was ominously silent and the fluorescent lights flickered.

I slammed against a heavy door, labeled the third floor. I had finally made it. I couldn't stop to catch my breath, I just shoved my body through the opening and ran to the windows. Just above my head, on the neighboring roof, Megatron pinned Jazz. The Decepticon leader's clawed ped dug into my new friend and I felt a spark of protective anger in my chest. I liked Jazz, he was funny and considerate! To think that Megatron was going to kill my friend was unacceptable.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed the nearest heavy object, which happened to be a metal three-hole-puncher and threw it at the window. The glass shattered easily, and my view was clear. Gently wind carried through the now open window, but it also carried the scent of smoke, dust, and burning ozone.

I groped at my lower back, pulling out the handgun I stole from Sector 7. I checked the magazine and found it full. I kissed the side of the magazine and shoved it in place. I clicked the safety off and aimed up. I carefully steadied my arms, settling into the position my father taught me all those years ago.

I looked down the barrel, through the sights, and at Megatron. I took a deep breath, resting my finger on the trigger. I adjusted my aim and held my breath.

I pulled the trigger, and the bullet glanced off of the metal monster's face, skidding across his cheek. Megatron jerked his face away reflexively and grabbed the pinned Autobot. Jazz continued pelting the behemoth with everything he had, not noticing the extra help as he yelled insults in an alien language.

"Come 'ere you little cretin," Megatron flung the bot lazily.

"You wanna piece 'o this? HUH? YOU WANNA PIECE?" Jazz goaded still squirming and shooting.

"NO," Megatron growled adjusting his grip. I could see his arms flexing with some effort as he began to tear my friend in half. I couldn't let this happen! I took aim again and breathed out. I jerking my finger on the trigger repeatedly. The gunshots echoed in my ears. "I WANT TWO-AGH!"

Megatron's war cry was cut off as one of my bullets successfully lodged itself in his eye, the others scratching his cheeks. He dropped Jazz and clutched his face. His remaining eye roved wildly, looking for the source. I stilled in terror as his red eye found mine. I could hear him growl, even from here.

I dropped my gun and turned to run. I had barely made it a few strides when I heard an awful whining noise of something charging. I didn't stop.

There was a thunderous noise, a concussive blast throwing me off my feet, and crushing pain followed by nothing.

Optimus POV-

Optimus groaned where he had landed on the asphalt. The human boy- Sam -lay still on his chest plates. Worry wormed its way through him until the boy (because he was just a boy- JUST a BOY) wiggled out from under his protective hand. Brown eyes looked at him, peering through a bloodied and dusty face.

"Sam," Optimus rumbled worriedly. The boy's earlier declaration ran through his processor.

'I'll never let you have the AllSpark!' The boy had very nearly died for it, and Prime couldn't help but feel grateful.

"You risked your life to protect the Cube," he continued softly. The boy's eyes met his, and Optimus could see the seed of understanding and wisdom within them.

"No sacrifice," The boy stood shakily- still clutching the AllSpark. "No victory." The surety of how he said it, that simple phrase, burned into his processor.

"If I cannot defeat Megatron, you MUST push the Cube into my chest," Optimus ordered. "I will sacrifice myself to destroy it." Age beyond his years shown in the brown eyes of the small organic, and Optimus wondered if the boy knew, exactly, what he was asking of him.

"Get behind me!" Optimus set down the boy, and got into a defensive stance, addressing his opponent and buying more time for the remaining humans to clear out of the area.

"It's you and me, Megatron!" The Decepticon leader roared and launched himself at Optimus.

"No, it's just me Prime!"

"At the end of this day, one shall stand-" Optimus could _feel_ the power in his words. No, not HIS words… "-one shall fall!" Megatron snarled and threw him away in disgust.

"You still fight for the weak!" Megatron sneered and shoved him down. "That is why. You. LOSE!" Optimus let out a small grunt as Megatron kicked him in the faceplates. The Prime went flying, his large body crashing down hard. Optimus glanced up in time to catch the eyes a small human femme. She clutched a child to her chest, trying desperately to protect the young being any way she could.

The moment froze, seeming like an eternity. Optimus allowed himself to examine her; his optics tracing the outline of her dark hair to her shaking shoulder. He met her eyes again, vibrant blue meeting glistening grey. He nodded minutely at her and moved. Optimus summoned his battle mask and whipped around catching Megatron by surprise. The enormous duo exchanged more blows until they threw each other way. Sam- the brave, foolish boy- darted between them. Megatron crawled closer to the human, even as Optimus struggled to get up.

"AllSpark! Mine!" The Decepticon Leader's voice was slurred from exhaustion and pain, but it still held enough malice to chill even Optimus' spark. Sam fell back, desperately scooting away. Terror shot through his frame and Optimus tried to reach for the boy.

"Sam! Put the Cube in my chest! NOW!" Optimus watched in horror as something sparked in the boy's eyes and he stood up. "Sam! No, Sam!"

The human boy ducked under Megatron's grasping servos and reached up. Sam gritted his teeth and raised the AllSpark, shoving it into the spark of his former brother. There was a brilliant flash of light, but no noise and no explosion. It was simply… gone.

Sam shakily collapsed next to Megatron's body as it convulsed. Optimus heaved himself to his peds, his entire body creaking with protest. He was vaguely aware of the human soldiers approaching from behind but he gave them no mind as he stared at his fallen enemy.

"You left me no choice, brother," He murmured mournfully. He wouldn't miss the tyrant, but he would miss who Megatron used to be. Where had it all gone wrong? He sighed, stretching to his fullest height, and looked around at the destruction they had wrought. Upturn cars burned in the streets, and bodies of the injured or dead lay around them. It tore at his weary spark.

Optimus turned and knelt so he was face to face with Sam.

"Sam, I owe you my life. We are in your debt." Sam's companion drove up with Lieutenant Bumblebee strapped to the back of her vehicle. His friend was obviously in pain and missing his legs, but the happy bot still shot the human girl a thumbs up. Behind the soldiers, the rest of his small unit lumbered closer.

"Prime," Ironhide's gruff voice was suspiciously hoarse. " Ratchet was able to save him, but…" The black mech cradled the broken frame close to himself. Jazz was a mess, simply put.

His torso was nearly severed from his lower half, and his visor was missing, showing dark optics. He was missing a hand and covered in dents and scratches.

"Oh, Jazz," Optimus murmured. He reached out and gently caressed the injured mech's helm. The large Autobot looked around himself tiredly. "We almost lost a great comrade today, but we have also gained new ones." Optimus nodded at the human soldiers still nervously milling around them. The bot knelt, gravity lacing his tone. "Thank you, all of you. You honor us with your bravery."

Captain Lennox, the soldier that had run beside them and led his men into battle, stared at him with understanding in his eyes.

"Permission to speak, sir," Bumblebee spoke up from his perch, his vocoder spitting out the words painfully.

"Permission granted old friend," Optimus nodded at the yellow Autobot as Sam whipped around to stare at Bumblebee with awe in his eyes.

"You speak now?" Sam blurted excitedly, and Bumblebee nodded at him cheerfully before turning back to address his Prime.

"I wish, to stay with the boy," The words were slow and awkward from him, but they held meaning all the same. Optimus smiled softly.

"If that is his choice." This time, his words were directed at Sam. The boy whipped his head back and forth between them and released a great gust of air.

"Yeah," Sam beamed, nodding vigorously. "Yeah." The bright smile faded from his face, and something akin to horror took its place. He looked around, his eyes fervently searching the crowd. Sam's small voice piped up two words that pierced the hearts of everybody in the vicinity.

"Where's Kat?"


End file.
